Built of Books

"Given its subject, Built of Books couldn't fail to be fascinating . . . Thoroughly entertaining and useful."—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

"Entertaining and highly original, [Built of Books] is animated by a real intellectual passion. It should be read by anyone interested in Wilde or in the art of literary biography."—Peter Ackroyd

"A wholly original book about reading, its comforts and perils: an eccentric landmark in the art of literary biography . . . riches on every page."—Daily Mail

"How beguiling a character seems the young Oscar Wilde. We are told that he 'swaggers' through the pages of the memoirs of his friends, 'supremely self-assured in manner, intellectually intrepid and precocious, with his striking dandified dress and towering physique, scattering epigrams and poems in his wake.' Wilde was a brilliant scholar and droll, rapid-fire commentator. He was erudite beyond what most of us can even begin to imagine. Except that now, thanks to Thomas Wright, we can imagine. Wright, in a remarkable labor of love, has dedicated much of his life (about two decades) to a quest to intellectually reconfigure and read Wilde's personal library. The result is Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde . . . Wright has gone to great lengths not only to learn about the titles that shaped Wilde's life, but to get his hands on as many of Wilde's own copies of those books as possible. The result is an idiosyncratic yet insightful take on the man Wright refers to as 'my hero' . . . Wright's account of a life shaped—for better and for worse—by the power of the written word is a recommended read for all who have ever been moved by the power of a book."—Marjorie Kehe, The Christian Science Monitor

"[A] biography-cum-study of Wilde, which promises to measure out the life not by the familiar biographical landmarks, but by a chronological excavation of Wilde's life-long reading list . . . One hundred and eight years after his demise, we still seem not to have run out of things to say about Wilde—and Wright's novel slant allows quite a few of them to be said again with both knowledge and flair."—The Guardian (UK)

"Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde provides an excellent account of the writer's life, times and inspirations, providing a focus on the library which was the source of many of his works. He was a reader, and his literary encounters built a collection twenty years in the making. This survey of his collection offers vivid insights into Wilde and book collectors in general and is a pick for both general-interest and literary libraries."—The Midwest Book Review

"If you're a newcomer to the wonderful world of Wilde, and can't face the length . . . of the now-official Ellman biography, this is the book for you . . . Perhaps no other scholar of Wilde has succeeded so well in moving into Oscar's head."—The Irish Times


"Revealing portrait of the noted—and notorious—writer, viewed through the prism of the books that educated, inspired and comforted him. From birth, Oscar Wilde was awash in words. His Anglo-Irish parents recounted aloud local tales, classic literature and their own work (Sir William was a pioneering folklorist, Lady Wilde 'a famous poetess'), fostering both an early aptitude and undying love for language, writing and books. Wilde thrilled at collecting and devouring a variety of volumes; each added to his prodigious intellect as well as to a store of ideas that contributed to many a lush oration. His years at Oxford were marked by extravagant academic accomplishments, particularly in the classics he had loved since childhood, and by symposiums hosted with Socratic gusto in his school quarters. As an adult of growing notoriety, Wilde found sustenance, inspiration and solace in his prized library; he regarded the carefully collected books as both 'a record of his life and as an emblem of his personality.' Wilde scholar Wright, who spent 20 years reading this library, allows his own prose to convey his subject's literary duality—excess and allusion. 'Hubris had provoked the wrath of the Gods, and Doom entered the stage with running feet,' he writes of the guilty verdict in the infamous Queensbury trial, referring to the Greek tragedies that provided so much joy to Wilde the reader but also inescapably pervaded his life. In general, the author suggests, Wilde enjoyed 'the pleasant confusion of life and art'—until his prison sentence forced him to become an actual tragic hero. At the start of his incarceration, all of his belongings, including his entire library, were sold at public auction to settle his debts. An 'inconsolable' Wilde suffered the losses behind bars; he would never fully recover. The author accents this remarkable account with pages of Wilde's reading lists, reproductions of annotated books and an index of referenced authors. A sumptuous literary biography."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Twenty years ago, Wright, a writer and lecturer on Oscar Wilde, decided to read all the books that Wilde had read. Ultimately, he realized that he could not complete this task, but he learned enough to write an engaging literary biography. Because Wilde's father was a preeminent Irish folklorist and his mother a poet, he became a voracious reader, aided by a photographic memory and a talent for speed reading. Having been found guilty in 1895 of 'gross indecency' and sentenced to two years in prison, his personal library was sold at auction. Although some valuable first editions and other books with Wilde's inscriptions and annotations were purchased by friends and eventually returned to him, a significant and unknown number were dispersed; Wright was able to locate and examine many of them. Wright's passion and knowledge radiate through this detailed yet readable portrait. Recommended for devotees of Wilde and literary biography as well as those who simply love books."—Anthony Pucci, Library Journal